Fish Tanks Master Thread

[jshelton]

thanks. I actually am not getting a 20 gallon one in the end. my cousin has an old one with furniture that's a bow front 45 gallon so I'm going to start with that. the furniture I was going to use to put the fish tank on wont hold it properly. but this advice is super helpful. thank you

[Zalc]

thanks. I actually am not getting a 20 gallon one in the end. my cousin has an old one with furniture that's a bow front 45 gallon so I'm going to start with that. the furniture I was going to use to put the fish tank on wont hold it properly. but this advice is super helpful. thank you

If you do plan on starting with live fish, Zebra Danios are super hardy and very active all the time.

We started with a bacteria starter and 3 Danios.

[jshelton]

I think im starting with tetras or glofish. then adding some more tetras or glofish. then a ray, then some of those mini lobsters, 2 angelfish, a snowball pleco, and possibly some more others like maybe a snail

[Zalc]

I think im starting with tetras or glofish. then adding some more tetras or glofish. then a ray, then some of those mini lobsters, 2 angelfish, a snowball pleco, and possibly some more others like maybe a snail

Careful with snails.

They multiply like crazy

[jshelton]

thank you for the tip

[stbaum]

at a simcha last night i took home the centerpiece. it was a small fishbowl with a couple goldfish and gravel. my daughter has been begging me for a fish for a long time. i was going to get a Beta (she wanted a purple fish) but i never did.

anyone know how to make sure these goldfish last as long as possible? obviously there is no filter, no heater, etc. my FIL said i should use a straw to blow bubbles into the water every now and then to get more oxygen into it?

after these die i will get a purple beta but then i'll need to keep that alive as well. so i need tips for that too.

any ideas? and no, i'm not about to invest in a fish tank when i know too many people that did and threw it out in less than a year (my parents included)

[grodnoking]

at a simcha last night i took home the centerpiece. it was a small fishbowl with a couple goldfish and gravel. my daughter has been begging me for a fish for a long time. i was going to get a Beta (she wanted a purple fish) but i never did.

anyone know how to make sure these goldfish last as long as possible? obviously there is no filter, no heater, etc. my FIL said i should use a straw to blow bubbles into the water every now and then to get more oxygen into it?

after these die i will get a purple beta but then i'll need to keep that alive as well. so i need tips for that too.

any ideas? and no, i'm not about to invest in a fish tank when i know too many people that did and threw it out in less than a year (my parents included)

If you live in Lakewood you shouldn't have a hard timw finding one in the masa umaten or a neighbor that has. Otherwise you can probably check om Craigslist for a tank.

[stbaum]

If you live in Lakewood you shouldn't have a hard timw finding one in the masa umaten or a neighbor that has. Otherwise you can probably check om Craigslist for a tank.

that wasn't what i asked for

[aygart]

at a simcha last night i took home the centerpiece. it was a small fishbowl with a couple goldfish and gravel. my daughter has been begging me for a fish for a long time. i was going to get a Beta (she wanted a purple fish) but i never did.

anyone know how to make sure these goldfish last as long as possible? obviously there is no filter, no heater, etc. my FIL said i should use a straw to blow bubbles into the water every now and then to get more oxygen into it?

after these die i will get a purple beta but then i'll need to keep that alive as well. so i need tips for that too.

any ideas? and no, i'm not about to invest in a fish tank when i know too many people that did and threw it out in less than a year (my parents included)

Goldfish officially need a lot of space since they produce a lot of schmutz. The Beta should do much better in a small area.

[TimT]

When my kids brought home several goldfish, every day another one or two died until only 1 was left & he lasted a long time. Change the water regularly (without almost killing him in the process).

[stbaum]

When my kids brought home several goldfish, every day another one or two died until only 1 was left & he lasted a long time. Change the water regularly (without almost killing him in the process).

did the surviving fish eat the dead ones? and what's regular? weekly? bi-weekly?

[etech0]

When my kids brought home several goldfish, every day another one or two died until only 1 was left & he lasted a long time. Change the water regularly (without almost killing him in the process).

+1
The bad ones go quickly, and then the good ones last.

[TimT]

did the surviving fish eat the dead ones? and what's regular? weekly? bi-weekly?

I don't know who killed who as they all look the same. You'll see when the water's not so clear anymore. Some do it almost daily, others not so often. I don't know what's recommended.

[JoeyShmoe]

at a simcha last night i took home the centerpiece. it was a small fishbowl with a couple goldfish and gravel. my daughter has been begging me for a fish for a long time. i was going to get a Beta (she wanted a purple fish) but i never did.

anyone know how to make sure these goldfish last as long as possible? obviously there is no filter, no heater, etc. my FIL said i should use a straw to blow bubbles into the water every now and then to get more oxygen into it?

after these die i will get a purple beta but then i'll need to keep that alive as well. so i need tips for that too.

any ideas? and no, i'm not about to invest in a fish tank when i know too many people that did and threw it out in less than a year (my parents included)

As aygart said, goldfish need a lot of space, officially it's anywhere between 10-20 gallons for the first and 10 for every additional one, otherwise you're literally torturing them. They're very messy and dirty, and create lots of ammonia which is very unhealthy (besides for the fact that they like to swim around and will die of lack of space). I have a 65 gallon tank with 7 goldfish of various sizes (1" to 5") and my $100 filter couldn't keep up with 2 bottom feeder (which essentially clean up the Chazerei).

Regarding a Betta fish, those can live in small tanks and need very little to no filtration (at least not on a regular basis), so that would definitely be a better idea if you're not in to investing in a fish tank.

[JoeyShmoe]

did the surviving fish eat the dead ones?

I had a small goldfish go missing a couple of weeks ago (one of those that you get at a carnival), I emptied out my fishtank and did a thorough cleaning, never found it We suspect that it was eaten.

[JoeyShmoe]

If you live in Lakewood you shouldn't have a hard timw finding one in the masa umaten or a neighbor that has. Otherwise you can probably check om Craigslist for a tank.

Fish as a hobby isn't cheap, even if you don't pay much for the actual fish tank, the maintenance costs (electric used by the filter, food, water for water changes etc.)

My daughter came home with 2 goldfish in a 2lb. container last year in Adar, it probably costed me over $2k since then (grew in to a full blown super enjoyable hobby, potentially getting a 155 gallon tank this week)

[stbaum]

As aygart said, goldfish need a lot of space, officially it's anywhere between 10-20 gallons for the first and 10 for every additional one, otherwise you're literally torturing them. They're very messy and dirty, and create lots of ammonia which is very unhealthy (besides for the fact that they like to swim around and will die of lack of space). I have a 65 gallon tank with 7 goldfish of various sizes (1" to 5") and my $100 filter couldn't keep up with 2 bottom feeder (which essentially clean up the Chazerei).

Regarding a Betta fish, those can live in small tanks and need very little to no filtration (at least not on a regular basis), so that would definitely be a better idea if you're not in to investing in a fish tank.

i didn't know fish can feel pain. emotional or otherwise
i will get a Beta but not before the others die

[JoeyShmoe]

i didn't know fish can feel pain. emotional or otherwise
i will get a Beta but not before the others die

You don't think they can feel physical pain? If you want to feel less bad about them dying, those fish are most probably "feeder fish", they're being bred to feed to other bigger carnivorous fish, IOW they were never destined to live (that's why they're so cheap, they're literally fish food)

[Something Fishy]

Regarding the fish: everyone makes good points above but neglects the most important detail: all these "goldfish" that kids bring home from camp, carnivals, and that are used in centerpieces are generally not goldfish at all; they're minnows. Goldfish (actually part of the carp family) look completely different, grow very large, and yes, output an immense amount of shmutz. These need a real tank to survive.

Minnows on the other hand are sold as "feeder fish" at ten for a dollar, to be used as food by other fish. They already sit in filth in the pet store, and have a very short life expectancy, no matter how well you take care of them. In this particular case, the idea of blowing in with a straw is a good one and may prolong their life a bit. Not because you're introducing oxygen into the water (you exhale carbon dioxide, not oxygen...), but because the bubbles disturb the water surface, which is where the oxygen exchange takes place. Taking a fork and splashing the surface of the water around will accomplish the same thing.

Change 50% of the water once a week, and put in some sort of substrate to help keep the ammonia levels in check. Read at least a basic article on the nitrogen cycle, you'll learn a great deal.

And most importantly - do not overfeed! The number one leading cause of death in fish is overfeeding, which wrecks the nitrogen cycle. Feet them real fish food once a day (not matzoh meal!), and never more than they could finish in 1-2 minutes.

This is a goldfish:



...and these are minnows:

[username]

Regarding the fish:

Was waiting for you to chime in!